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October 2004 Work Report
Fall has arrived in Chicago, and October '04 is already in the books. As such, we have a lot
to report in terms of progress on the Garfield Central this month.
One major project that was just completed on the Garfield Central is a new "repeater panel"
controlling the various trackage in Summit. This panel was installed by track foreman and repeater
panel expert Frank Schneider. Frank has completed several such panels on the GC, all of which
make operations easier and more enjoyable. These panels allow operators to control track from
in front of the layout rather from back behind the layout, on existing main control panels.
Below is the completed panel in Summit, ready for
use by the next operator:
Frank Schneider recently completed this repeater panel in Summit, thus making
switching maneuvers in Summit much easier and more enjoyable
Another project that Frank completed in October was the installation of a power-routing manual
turnout throw at the end of the spur in Summit that was
placed into service in March 2004. This throw mechanism
controls the turnout at the end of the spur, and though it is a manual throw, it does contain
internal contacts that enable power-routing of the 2 dead-end spurs beyond this turnout. An NS
C40-9W (of all things!) was spotted on this spur immediately after Frank's work was completed.
Frank Schneider installs a turnout throw on the new spur in Summit, thus
allowing for power-routing of the 2 dead-end sidings beyond the turnout
The below view shows the throw mechanism up close (and a bit blurry, sorry about
that). The contacts are operated by the actual throw of the switch, so that the frog and
appropriate spur are powered correctly:
The power-routing manual turnout throw in Summit
Meanwhile, the tracklaying effort in Summit continues at full steam (no pun intended). Two
turnouts have now been laid, and guardrails have also been installed for the street-running
portion of the paper mill spur. Below is a view of the start of the paper mill spur, note
the turnout and the completed siding to the left (occupied by the hopper car). Compare the
below shot to a shot of the same spot
taken just a month ago.
New trackage continues to evolve in Summit. The hopper is occupying one
of many sidings to be laid in Summit. This siding dead-ends at the Summit station
The below view shows track foreman Jim "Jimmy J" Jansen spiking down a rail
for the siding pictured above. Wes Urschel also assisted this effort during October.
Laying track is a tedious process but spiking down rails for
a dead-end siding is among the easier aspects of the job.
After spiking and adjustments, the excess rail hanging over the last ties
will be cut, and a bumper of some sort will be installed
Jim recently laid a second turnout in Summit -- it is pictured below. This
turnout leads to a second dead-end spur at the forthcoming Summit Station, much like the first turnout
installed.
The second turnout to be installed in Summit is seen here. The siding to
which it connects still needs one rail before being complete
After a solid few hours of tracklaying, Jim gets a chance to let his
recently-acquired Chicago Surface Lines trolley stretch its legs on the GC mainline. This trolley is
representative of the type of trolley that will soon serve the Summit area on the trolley
loop being built there.
A Chicago Surface Lines trolley cruises through Summit, under the watchful
eye of Jim Jansen
Another job taking place in October is a major magazine and periodical reorganization,
undertaken by Club member Dave Locke. The Club owns many thousands of railroad and modelling
magazines, and these are now being cataloged and stored appropriately:
An initial look at the cataloging effort currently being undertaken for the
Club's various print material
Pat Reardon and Dave Urschel continue to upgrade track occupancy LEDs in the
various control panels on the GC. Here, Pat Reardon puts some finishing touches on a solder joint
in a control panel underneath the yard at Williamsport...watch that hot iron, Pat!!!:
Pat deftly solders some wires to the panel without burning his fingers
Our last items this month come out of Clarendon Gap, the eastern-most end of
the Garfield Central. First, Bob Lindt has recently completed the repair of a mainline turnout
in CA that had previously suffered from some water damage, account of a roof leak. The turnout is
now repaired, and only needs a new motor to return to service. Meanwhile, the second shot shows
Bob's repairs to the source of the water leak:
This turnout was recently repaired after water damaged its mechanism
The source of the original water leak is now appropriately wrapped up
In summary, October 2004 has been a busy month on the Garfield Central! November '04 will be
primarily spent on open house preparation and cleanup, but we'll be sure to share our progress
on the various work projects currently taking place on the GC. Until next time,
- J. A. Joyce
Georgetown Yardmaster
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